Americans against reopening of businesses amid Corona

May 06, 2020 10:45

A sizable majority of Americans have opposed the reopening of restaurants, retail stores and other businesses, which were locked down due to the coronavirus restrictions put in place to contain the virus, fearing that the health crisis is not yet over and many people may still get infected by the fast-spreading contagion, a US-based survey has found.

According to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, conducted between April 28 to May 3 among random samples of 1,005 adults, about half of the states in the US have eased restrictions on businesses, but Americans' unease about patronising them represents a major hurdle to restarting the economy.

Many Americans have been making trips to grocery stores and 56 per cent say they are comfortable doing so. But 67 per cent say they would be uncomfortable shopping at a retail clothing store, and 78 per cent would be uncomfortable eating at a sit-down restaurant.

People in states with looser restrictions report similar levels of discomfort as those in states with stricter rules, the survey said.

Americans continue to give negative marks to their President Donald Trump for his response to the outbreak, while offering widely positive assessments of their state governors, a trend that has been consistent throughout the pandemic.

Trump's ratings are 44 per cent positive and 56 per cent negative, in line with where he was two weeks ago and only slightly worse than a week ago.

Meanwhile, state governors earn positive marks from 75 per cent of Americans, about the same as a week ago, the survey said."Partisan differences remain sizable, with nearly eight in 10 Republicans but just about two in 10 Democrats rating Trump positively.

In contrast, governors earn big positive majorities across the parties," it added.In announcing plans to ease the restrictions on businesses, governors have emphasised that their actions represent a gradual and cautious reopening of their economies.

Nonetheless, when asked about eight different types of businesses, namely gun stores, dine-in restaurants, hair salons, clothing stores, and gyms, majorities of Americans say they oppose ending the restrictions on each of the eight, the poll suggested.

The most significant opposition is to reopen movie theatres, with 82 per cent of Americans saying they should not be allowed to open up in their state. There is also broad opposition to reopening gyms (78 per cent opposed), dine-in restaurants and nail salons (both with 74 per cent opposed), according to the results of the poll.

Gun stores are next, with 70 per cent saying they should not be reopened, followed by barbershops and hair salons (69 per cent opposed) and retail shops such as clothing stores (66 per cent opposed) and golf courses (59 per cent opposed). -- PTI

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